Legal analyst Dan Abrams discusses the significance of some of the most high profile the cases he has covered – from the O.J. Simpson murder trial to Bush v. Gore – as well as insights from his latest book, Lincoln’s Last Trial.
On the impact of cameras in the courtroom: “I think there have been cases that had they not been televised, there would have been riots in response, because people got to see why the jury reached a verdict it did… Going back a little bit… the O.J. Simpson trial did a great disservice to cameras in the courtroom… because there was a sense… that the lawyers were playing to the camera. You really don’t see that in almost any other case. People forget that the camera is there… I think that it is incredibly instructive… From covering a trial, you learn something about how the system works or doesn’t work.”
On what he learned from Abraham Lincoln’s final trial as a practicing attorney: “As a lawyer, this was the end of his career. At this point, he had been a really successful attorney, one of the best known in the West and he had kind of honed his craft. He was known as the guy who could talk to a jury. He wasn’t a big legal statutes guy. He was the person you brought in to try and communicate with the jury. But just as important, he learned what not to ask – meaning there were points where he could have kept going with a witness, and he stopped.”
Our weekly newsletter with insights and intelligence from across the firm
By submitting this information, you agree to receive marketing emails from Goldman Sachs and accept our privacy policy. You can opt-out at any time.